Antibiotic Resistance in Campylobacter Isolated from Patients with Gastroenteritis in a Teaching Hospital in Ghana

Campylobacter is a leading causal agent of bacterial enteritis worldwide, but its prevalence is not well documented in Ghanaian hospitals. This study isolated Campylobacter species from patients with enteritis or urinary tract infections attending Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and assessed the antibiogram profile of isolated species. Two hundred and two (202) in-patients and outpatients samples of all age groups diagnosed with enteritis or UTI infections were analyzed from May 2013 to August 2013. Campylobacter species were detected using selective agar (mCCDA) and confirmed on API Campy system (bioMérieux, France), with disk diffusion method determined the resistance profile of the species. Of the 128 enteritis and 74 UTI patients samples analyzed, 26 and 9 isolates were respectively confirmed as Campylobacter spp. giving a prevalence of 17.3% (35/202). Species identified were C. jejuni (40%), C. jejuni sub sp. doylei (2.8%), C. coli (37%) and C. lari (20%). Resistance was 92.3% 100% each to erythromycin and the β-lactams, 61.5% 86.7% to trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole, 92.3% 93.3% to tetracycline, 46.2% 80% to chloramphenicol, 0% 60% to aminoglycosides and 0% to imipenem. Multidrug resistance of 97.1% was detected among species. Empirical treatment of Campylobacter enteritis with erythromycin and other common and cheap drugs may result in treatment failure in the face of high level resistance observed among the Campylobacter species.